Tammy Duckworth Will Be the First U.S. Senator to Give Birth While in Office

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Duckworth is expected to become the first sitting U.S. senator to give birth while in office. The combat veteran, who gave birth to her first daughter in 2014 while serving in the House of Representatives, revealed that this hasn't been an easy journey. Duckworth shared that she went through multiple rounds of IVF and suffered a miscarriage when she and her husband, Bryan, decided to have a second child.

“Bryan and I are thrilled that our family is getting a little bit bigger, and Abigail is ecstatic to welcome her baby sister home this spring,” Duckworth told Time. She also shared the news on Twitter with an adorable image of four ducks.

A separate statement issued by Duckworth's office emphasized that millions of other working mothers across the country are more deeply impacted by the wage gap than other women simply because they choose to expand their families.

"Though millions of American women have become mothers while continuing their careers, Senator Duckworth is one of only 10 women since our nation’s founding who have given birth while serving in Congress," the statement read. "Her experiences as a working mother give her an important — and underrepresented — perspective in the halls of Congress, where she has long advocated on behalf of working families."

This isn't the first time Duckworth has made history. After losing both her legs while serving as a battle captain in the Iraq war, she became the first woman with a disability elected to Congress. Duckworth is also Illinois' first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress.